Vikings’ White playing strong on the court

White Oak’s Kendall White (10) goes to the basket while being guarded by three Northside defenders during a game earlier this season. White credits his strength for helping him become a better basketball player this season.

File photo/The Daily News

By Chris Miller-Prep Sports Writer/The Daily News

Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 11:30 AM.

Kendall White doesn’t shy away from contact.

In fact, the junior has come to expect it, given he plays both running back and safety for White Oak’s football team.

“It does help in the sense that because I’m used to it by playing football when I take it to the hoop … it allows me to draw contact and still go up for a layup and finish,” White said. “Definitely (football coach Chad Ashley) has gotten me stronger.”

But just how strong is the 5-foot-11, 200-pound White?

He said he bench presses 330 pounds and squats 425, and that his strength enables him to go up to the rim strong and without fear.

“It does help in the sense that because I’m used to it by playing football when I take it to the hoop … it allows me to draw contact and still go up for a layup and finish,” White said. “Definitely (football coach Chad Ashley) has gotten me stronger.”

But just how strong is the 5-foot-11, 200-pound White?

He said he bench presses 330 pounds and squats 425, and that his strength enables him to go up to the rim strong and without fear.

And because White is able to finish strong, he’s fourth in area scoring at 15 points per game for the Vikings (5-18, 2-11 Coastal 3-A Conference), who play host to rival Jacksonville (10-13, 5-8) tonight in the teams’ regular-season finale.

White Oak coach Chris Grimes also feels White’s muscle growth has helped him become a better basketball player during his three years on varsity. As a freshman, White averaged 8.1 points per game before scoring 9.8 last year as a sophomore.

“He can take contact and instead of maybe going to the foul line or not getting a foul called because he’s out of control in the air, he’s now getting ‘and-1s’ and making free throws to complete the three-point play,” Grimes said.

“Kendall has a God-given body that not many people are blessed with, but he’s taken it to the next level by getting in the weight room and increasing his muscle mass. He’s probably put on 35 pounds in 2 1/2 years and all 35 pounds is muscle.”

Given that, it’s not surprising that White isn’t exactly an outside finesse player. But his style doesn’t feature just battling down low. He also has a pull-up jump shot that can catch defenders off guard.

“This year more so than the last two years, he’s been able to develop a pretty good 10- to 15-foot pull-up,” Grimes said. “He’s seeing where a defender might be setting up to take a charge and he’s stropping on a dime and pulling up and knocking that shot down, which has elevated his scoring.”

White said he added that shot into his game during the offseason.

“It helps me keep my defender off-balanced because he doesn’t know when I will drive or shoot it,” he said.

But White hasn’t just become a stronger scorer for the Vikings. White, who’s averaging 2 assists per game, has also become a smarter player, which translates into his making better decisions on whether to take the ball to the goal or to dish it off to a teammate.

“Kendall has had a huge year as far as growth and figuring out what the other nine guys on the basketball court are doing and how he can make himself or his teammates successful,” Grimes said. “He reads the floor and sees what the defense is offering, and he sees where a good place is for his teammates to be a scoring threat if it’s not there for him to get to the basket.”

White credited Grimes for helping see the court better this season.

“Coach Grimes has helped me with my basketball IQ and be a smarter player,” he said. “This is by far my best year. I just got to give credit to my teammates and my coach for putting me in a good position.”

White has certainly done his share despite the Vikings not having as many victories as they hoped. Watch him play, and you would never know White Oak has just five wins.

“Kendall has a burning desire to make his team better,” Grimes said. “Sometimes it burns brighter, and that comes with confidence in a flow of a game.”

And White would like nothing more than to light things up tonight when the Vikings play host to Jacksonville, which has defeated White Oak in 19 consecutive games, dating back to the 2006 regular-season finale.

“They’ve had us for a couple of years. I just think we want to do it (defeat Jacksonville) for the seniors because they haven’t beaten Jacksonville and this is the last time we play them. I just need to play well and not force it. I need to knock down some shots and get our team going.”

The Vikings have not beaten Jacksonville since a 64-54 win on Jan. 13, 2006 at White Oak High School. If White Oak is to beat Jacksonville today, White will likely need to have a big game.

“The biggest thing is we got to keep him out of foul trouble,” Grimes said. “He’s got to be the man amongst boys and he’s got to be the leading playmaker, whether that’s drawing three defenders and making a perfect pass for a wide-open layup or scoring over multiple defenders and getting to the foul line and converting.”